Casing-tongs.



W.W. WILKINSON.

GASING TONGS. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 7, 1912.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTCE WILCIE W. WILKINSON, OF SANTA PAULA,CALIFORNIA.

oAsING-TONGS.

Application led October 7, 1912. Serial N o. 724,355,

Specification f Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3, .19 1 el.

To all whom it may concern: g

Be it known that I, WILCIE W. WILK'IN- soN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Santa Paula, in the county of Ventura and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Casing-Tongs,of which the following is a specication.- This invention relates tocasing tongs used in handling deep well casings during theirintroduction or withdrawal, and the principal object is to provide agripping mechanism for such tongs that is easily removable fromengagement with the casing without material disarrangement of the parts.

It is also an object to' provide a vdevice that is reversible withoutremoving" the tongs from the casing.` f.

It is a further object to provide casing tongs positive in its grippingaction, -the gripping parts being supported on the operating lever inaneasily applied position.-

'In the drawings accompanying this speciication Figure l is a plan viewof the tongs,

showing them applied toa section of casing,

shown in cross section. Fig. 2 is a planview showing the gripping jawsuncoupled by lto the hinge pin, and inposition to be applied to thecasing.. Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe tongs as illustrated inFig. 1. Fig. i is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking inthe direction of the arrows. Fig. 5 is a cross -section on the line 5 5,showing the supporting chains in engagement with the supporting hooks.Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. Q, looking in the directionof the arrows. y

Heretoforelcasing tongs have been provided With gripping means whichhave to 'abe removed from the casing to reverse the *action of thetongs.

l This invention provides a gripping mechanism that can be reversed bythe changing of one pin, removably secured in the jaws.

More specifically in the. dra-wings like numerals indicate similar partsin the different views, 7 designating a section of the easing inclosedby the jaws 8 and 9 of the improved casing tongs, hinged -at their freeen s by means of the hinge pin 10 which is passed through the bores 11,axially disposed to the jaws. These jaws are of the -genralsemi-cylindrical form, the inner periphery being slotted radially of thecasing` to receive the teeth 12, preferably formed of of the operating a.harder'metal than the jaws themselves, and ground to a conigurationshown in the drawings,providing a `sha-rp engaging edge.

Portions of the jaws adjacent to the operating lever 14 are extended, asshown, to form the lugs 15 whichv embrace the inner end of the lever 14,in the slot formed by the pair of extending lugs 15. These lugs areprovided with a plurality of bores which extend parallel and axially inrelation to the casing through the lugs, parallel' with the hinge bores11. The two inner bores 17 are4 provided for the reception of the pin 18acting as a cam or stop to limit the movement vlever on the sidepn whichthe pin 1s inserted.

The; outer bores are provided to receive the p iis 19 which arepermanently secured in the jaws afterfthe device is assembled.Preferably mounted on these pins are the rollers 2O interposed in theslot formed by the adjacentv lugs 15, these rollers being embraced andadapted to roll in the angular or V-shaped slot 21 formed in the headedextension 22 of the operating lver 111. This headed extension 22 iswider from side to side of the lever, and is provided with the curvedbearing surfaces 23 which bear against the pin 1S when the latter isplaced -in position, the pivot pin 19 adjacent to the j cam pin beingconverted thereby into a pivot or fulcrum for the leverage exerted bythe operating lever. y

The slot 21 is, as shown, of such configuration that the straight-awayportions and constituting the engaging portions of the 'slot areplaced'at an angle of approximately 100 and is of such width that therollers 20 are readily rolled therein without undue friction or movementthereto, the apex being away from the casing engaging members thoughthis position may be reversed.l

As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the movement of the lever in the directionof the arrow throws the inclined edge acting as a cam, of the outersides of the slotagainst the roller, the -other roller 20 being held inpivotal relation in the terminal end of its portion of the slot by thepin 18.

To support the device and lift the section of the casing to which thetongs is applied, hooks 24are provided on the strap secured.- as closeto the inner end of the lever as is practical. Loop straps 25-are alsosecured on either side of the lever to which a line i may be secured toguide the device when it is lifted out of reach of an operator` toengage or release the action of the lever.

As can readily be seen by shifting the cam pin 18 to the opposite jaw,the gripping direction is reversed Without moving the jaws from thecasing, and the jaws are easily operated when the lever occupies thecentral relation as shown in Fig. 2, by removing the hinge pin I0.

The tongs could be hushed so that they could be applied to smaller sizesof casing, the bushing being secured by any suitable means.

What I claim is: y

1. Casing tongs, comprising a plurality of hinged casing engagingmembers, their free ends Abeing provided With engaging lugs, and anoperating lever having through it the V-slot engaging said lugs to drawthem together to grip a casing embraced thereby.

2. A symmetrical and reversible casing tongs, comprising a pair ofhinged casing engaging members, having hores in their free ends, pinssecured in saidbores, a lever having a single slot embracing andinclosing said pins, and means to limit the movement of said lever inrelation to one of said pins and its member whereby said lever draws thefree ends of said hinged members into gripping engagement.

3. A reversible casing tongs, eomprisin a pair of members formed Withsemi-cylindarical recesses. means to hinge together said members, pinssecured in the unhinged ends of each of said members, a lever having anangular slot with edges inclined away -from said hinged casing membersand adapted to embrace said ins, and interchangeable means to hinge t elever to one of said pins whereby the movement of said lever slides theother of said pins in said slots, to draw said members to a grippingengagement.

4. Casing tongs comprising a pair of semicircular casing engagingmembers having slotted lugs at one of their ends and means to hingetogether the oppositely disposed ends, bores carried through the slotsin said lugs, pins adapted to fit in the nearest of said hores, a leverhaving a V shaped slot in one end adapted to receive said pins the apexof said slot pointing away from said casing members and a stop adaptedto be inserted in one of' said bores oppositely disposed in said lugsfrom a pin in said V slot whereby said lever is hinged in relation tosaid pin and the other lng of said slot acts as a earn face and forcessaid other pin and its casing member to a gripping action.

5. Casing tongs comprising a plurality of casing engaging members adated to be hinged together, their oppositeiy disposed ends having leverengaging lugs and a lever having an angularly formed slot ofsubstantially V form adapted to receive and engage said lever engaginglugs, the lever hinging on one lug and the other adapted to slide in theother portion of said angular Slot.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed by namethis 30th day of September 1912.

VVILCIE W. WILKINSON. Witnesses:

ROY Winmxson, Jas. F. STEWART.

